This invention relates to a support, and more particularly to a stand or support which can be self-assembled from one or more originally flat components without the use of extraneous fastening devices. Such a stand or support will, prior to assembly, occupy a minimum of space for storage or transport. One of the envisaged uses of the stand or support is to hold in an inverted position relatively small containers of viscous material as found in the home or office, such as sauce bottles or containers for glue, shampoo, cosmetics, etc. Suitably dimensioned for such domestic use the stand or support of the invention is well-suited to transmission, e.g. by mail, with a minimum of packaging and danger of damage in transit.
Viscous materials in common use in the home or office, such as thick sauces, shampoo and other edible or cosmetic substances, glue and paste, are usually supplied in bottles or bottle-like containers or dispensers which have a restricted opening at the top, usually sealed by a screw-threaded or otherwise removable or openable cap. This means that the container is not free-standing, or cannot safely be stood, in an up-ended condition. Most such containers have a cylindrical body portion, perhaps tapering toward the top opening, and so the only practicable way to stand them, e.g. on a table or shelf, is on the flattened base.
This means, however, that as the contents are removed each successive pouring operation becomes more difficult and time-consuming. Viscous liquid which has had time to settle to the bottom of a bottle takes a long time to pour back to the opening along the length of the bottle when up-ended. The user must hold the bottle upside down for progressively longer periods before contents begin to emerge, perhaps encouraging the process by hitting or shaking the bottle.
A major producer of a successful sauce has recognised this problem to the extent of turning it into an advertising joke in which it is pretended that the measures needed to encourage the emergence of the sauce from the bottle (i.e. smacking it with the palm of one hand while holding it in the other) are applause for the product!
In practice, however, the problem causes considerable waste. Not everyone has the patience and ingenuity needed to extract the last of the contents and many bottles and containers are thrown away while still partially filled. The problem is exacerbated by the difficulty of seeing whether any worthwhile quantity in fact remains. Not all containers are transparent, for example shampoo is commonly sold in translucent plastics bottles, and even a transparent bottle will be obscured (a) by advertising labels and (b) by the residue which inevitably adheres to the interior of the bottle. Therefore even the most patient and most frugal user will tend to throw away a bottle which still contains a useful amount of the viscous liquid.
Another problem is that residue around the opening hardens by exposure to air and not only makes the container unpleasant to handle but tends to seal a screw top, making it difficult to unscrew. A particular problem with glue or paste dispensers is that hardened glue or paste tends to seal the opening, which has to be cleared, e.g. with a knife, before glue or paste can be dispensed. Some such dispensers have foam material in the opening serving as an application pad. If paste or glue filling the cells of the foam is allowed to harden the dispenser becomes practically unusable. However, if the opening, such as a slit, or the foam pad is continuously wetted by the paste or glue by storing the dispenser or container upside down, the danger of obstruction by hardened contents is considerably reduced if not eliminated.
The present invention proceeds from the realisation that if it were practical and convenient to store such containers in an inverted condition the contents would have time to collect and would remain adjacent the outlet until the last drop is extracted, and furthermore the outlet region would be permanently wetted, until the contents were exhausted, avoiding the problems referred to.
One object of the invention is therefore to provide a stand or support adapted to maintain a container for viscous material in an inverted condition. Another object of the invention is to provide such a stand or support which, while cheap and simple to manufacture, will provide an aesthetically appealing object which will be acceptable in kitchens, bathrooms and dining rooms. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a support which is adapted for storage and sale in a kit form consisting of one or more flat components occupying a minmum of space and not susceptible to damage but which is readily self-assembled by the purchaser into an attractive item without the use of extraneous fastening means or tools.